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Veronica Roth announces new Divergent alternate story, The Sixth Faction

Veronica Roth announced The Sixth Faction, new Divergent novel exploring alternate path for Beatrice Prior

Pop Culture & Art April 18, 2026 1 min read

Photo: IMDb

Veronica Roth has announced a return to her Divergent series with a new novel titled The Sixth Faction, marking her first revisit to the story that established her global success.

The book is scheduled for release on October 6 2026, and will begin a planned duology set in an alternate version of the original narrative.

Speaking at BookCon in New York City, Roth revealed that the new instalment reimagines the journey of protagonist Beatrice Prior.

Rather than continuing the original timeline, the story explores a different outcome based on a changed decision.

In the original series, society is divided into five factions based on core virtues, with Beatrice choosing Dauntless. The Sixth Faction instead introduces a scenario in which tragedy alters that choice.

Roth explained that returning to the series required personal reflection on its impact. “I have a lot of positive associations with Divergent, and a lot of negative associations,” she said.

She added that the pressures following the series’ success affected her well-being, stating: “I was so stressed. I had an undiagnosed anxiety disorder. I was not medicated. I was terrified of what was happening to me at that time.”

The Divergent books, published between 2011 and 2014, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide and led to a film franchise.

Despite the commercial success, Roth said she struggled with criticism and distanced herself from the series for years.

Her perspective began to shift after revisiting the material. Reflecting on listening to an audiobook version of Four, she said, “I was like, ‘...This is kind of good.’” She described the new novel as a way to reconnect with the work and apply lessons learned over time.

Roth stated that The Sixth Faction represents a culmination of her development as a writer, saying, “I put everything I learned into this.”